VIDEO: Istanbul again hit by heavy rain and flash floods

ISTANBUL

A woman driver in the Başakşehir neighborhood is saved by a passerby as the water level rose in the street. Photo: Süleyman Kaya

Torrential rain caused flash flooding in Istanbul early on July 19, prompting road closures and disrupting life across parts of the city.
      
The Okmeydanı, Levent, Başakşehir, Arnavutköy and Sultangazi districts were among the most affected areas, where floods made some roads impassable and submerged the lower parts of buildings, Anadolu Agency reported.

A number of underpasses were submerged in water and vehicles were stuck on flood roads, while firefighters had to pull a number of vehicles out of the deluge, Anadolu Agency reported.

A number of dramatic flood scenes were captured by Doğan News Agency:


1) An avenue in the suburban Bağcılar district: 




2) A woman in the Başakşehir neighborhood was saved by a passerby after her car was stranded in the rising waters while driving:




3) The central district of Beşiktaş: 




4) Several vehicles were stranded in the Okmeydanı neighborhood: 




5) After a snowless winter and an very dry spring, the average water level in dams around Istanbul is currently at 20.3 percent capacity, a record low for the past decade. In July 2013, the level was 74 percent. The current low level means that Istanbul now has enough water for its population for only 62 more days: